Advent 2026: When It Starts (Nov 29), Sundays and Meaning

Advent 2026 begins on Sunday, November 29, 2026, the First Sunday of Advent, and ends on the evening of Thursday, December 24, when Christmas begins. It lasts 26 days and has four Sundays: November 29, December 6, December 13 (Gaudete Sunday) and December 20. The First Sunday of Advent also begins the Church’s new liturgical year, and with it Year B of the Sunday readings.

Advent is a season of joyful, watchful preparation: for the celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas, and for His coming again at the end of time. Here are the dates, the readings, the meaning of the season, the feasts that fall within it, and the prayers and traditions that help Catholic families keep it well.

Advent 2026 at a glance

First Sunday of Advent: November 29, 2026
Second Sunday of Advent: December 6, 2026
Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday): December 13, 2026
Fourth Sunday of Advent: December 20, 2026
Christmas Eve: Thursday, December 24, 2026 (Advent ends at the vigil of Christmas)
Christmas Day: Friday, December 25, 2026
Color: violet; rose may be worn on Gaudete Sunday.
Sunday readings: Year B (mostly from the Gospel of Mark).
Advent 2027 begins on Sunday, November 28, 2027.

What Advent means

The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus, “coming.” The Church’s norms for the liturgical year describe the season’s double character: it prepares us to celebrate Christ’s first coming at Christmas, and that remembrance turns our minds and hearts toward His second coming at the end of time. For both reasons, the norms call Advent “a period of devout and joyful expectation” (Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar 39).

The season has two parts:

From the First Sunday to December 16, the readings look mainly to Christ’s return in glory: watch, wake up, be ready.
From December 17 to 24, the liturgy turns directly to the coming birth of Jesus, with the great O Antiphons at Evening Prayer and the Gospel accounts of Mary, Joseph and John the Baptist.

Advent is not Lent. It has a penitential color and a quieter liturgy (the Gloria is omitted at Sunday Masses), but its spirit is hope rather than mourning.

The Sunday readings for Advent 2026 (Year B)

November 29, First Sunday: Isaiah 63–64 (“Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down”), 1 Corinthians 1:3–9, Mark 13:33–37 (“Watch!”).
December 6, Second Sunday: Isaiah 40:1–5, 9–11 (“Comfort, my people”), 2 Peter 3:8–14, Mark 1:1–8 (John the Baptist in the wilderness).
December 13, Third Sunday (Gaudete): Isaiah 61:1–2a, 10–11, 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24 (“Rejoice always”), John 1:6–8, 19–28.
December 20, Fourth Sunday: 2 Samuel 7 (God’s promise to David), Romans 16:25–27, Luke 1:26–38 (the Annunciation).

Intercessions for each Sunday are on the Sunday Prayers of the Faithful and the daily pages on Prayers of the Faithful Today. For general Advent intercessions, see Prayers of the Faithful for Advent.

Feasts during Advent 2026

November 30 (Monday): St. Andrew, Apostle. The St. Andrew Christmas Novena begins today.
December 3: St. Francis Xavier.
December 6: St. Nicholas. Because it falls on the Second Sunday of Advent in 2026, it is not celebrated at Mass, but families can still keep his customs at home.
December 8 (Tuesday): Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation in the United States.
December 9: St. Juan Diego.
December 12 (Saturday): Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas.
December 13: St. Lucy, superseded by Gaudete Sunday in 2026.
December 17–23: the O Antiphons, the ancient “O” verses (O Wisdom, O Lord, O Root of Jesse, O Key of David, O Dayspring, O King of Nations, O Emmanuel).

Catholic Advent traditions

The Advent wreath. Four candles, three violet and one rose, lit week by week. See Advent candles: colors, order and meaning and the weekly Advent wreath prayers.
The St. Andrew Christmas Novena, prayed fifteen times a day from November 30 to Christmas Eve.
The Jesse Tree, ornaments telling the story of salvation from Creation to the birth of Jesus.
Confession before Christmas. Most parishes hold Advent penance services. Prepare with an examination of conscience.
Rorate Masses, celebrated before dawn by candlelight in honor of Mary.
Las Posadas (Mexico) and Simbang Gabi (Philippines), novenas of Masses or processions from December 16 to 24.
An empty manger, to which children add a piece of straw for each good deed, ready for the Christ Child on Christmas.

Advent prayers

An Advent prayer for every day

Come, Lord Jesus.
Come into our hearts, which are often crowded and distracted.
Come into our homes, which need your peace.
Come into our world, which longs for justice.
Make us watchful and joyful, so that when you come we may be ready to welcome you. Amen.

Maranatha

The shortest Advent prayer is one of the oldest Christian prayers, preserved in Aramaic by St. Paul (1 Corinthians 16:22) and echoed at the end of the Bible: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). Pray it slowly, many times, as a breath prayer.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

The best-known Advent hymn is a paraphrase of the O Antiphons. This is the classic 1851 translation by John Mason Neale:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

Frequently asked questions

When does Advent start in 2026?

Sunday, November 29, 2026. It ends on December 24, before the first Mass of Christmas.

How long is Advent 2026?

26 days, from November 29 to December 24. Advent always has four Sundays but its length varies from 22 to 28 days depending on the day of the week Christmas falls.

What liturgical year starts in Advent 2026?

The new Church year begins with Year B of the Sunday Lectionary, which reads mainly from the Gospel of Mark.

Is Advent a penitential season?

It has a penitential character and a violet color, but the Church describes it as a time of “devout and joyful expectation.” It is not a season of fasting like Lent.

Is the Immaculate Conception a holy day of obligation in 2026?

Yes. December 8, 2026 is a Tuesday, and in the United States the Immaculate Conception is a holy day of obligation. See Holy Days of Obligation 2026 and 2027.

More Advent and Christmas pages

Sources

Universal Norms on the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, 39–42 (in the Roman Missal)
Lectionary for Mass, Sundays of Advent, Year B
USCCB, Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States, 2026
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 524

Advent 2026: Dates, Meaning, Sundays and Catholic Prayers